The path of the iron fan
by Leonas
Summary: One's weapon of choice can determine a lot about them. So what happens when everyone's new blonde chooses to wield a weapon that require subtlety and control?
1. unfolding

You can find the most interesting things in the trash.

It was a lesson that a young 7 year old Naruto had learned rather early. Of course when most adults ignored you, and almost every store either did the same or seemed to always charge you more than you had, you learned to adapt.

So thats why he was currently creeping through a back alley at night. He was looking through trash cans to see if there was anything interesting or useful. It was also how he stumbled upon a pair of objects that were to change his life.

A little way in the trashcan we was currently digging through he came across two little objects. They looked kinda like the fans he saw in shop windows. But these had some rust on them as well as scratch marks. WIth his curiosity peaked he picked up the small fans and was surprised to find cold metal meeting his fingers. Not to mention they weighed a bit more than he first thought.

He pocketed one of the fans and opened the other up to see that it was rather plain and covered in spots of rust. It was very unlike the other fans he had seen. Also he was pretty sureonly metal rusted. Was the whole fan made of metal? But fans were made with wood and paper weren't they? Now he was confused.

However before he could ponder further he heard the sounds of someone approaching and beat a hasty retreat. People just didn't like it when you rooted through their trash.

* * *

><p>Back in the safety of his rather messy apartment, Naruto sat down on his second hand couch and took out the pair of fans again. It was rather strange what you would find on the trash. Who would throw away a pair of working metal fans? Sure they were scratched, and a bit rusty but that could be fixed couldn't it? They certainly seemed to open and close alright.<p>

Naruto felt he needed to ask someone about this. However, ever since he entered the academy, everytime he went to the old man Hokage to ask a question his only answer would be to turn to books or his teachers.

Which left one source he knew he could turn to… but he really didn't want to. The man was really up tight, constantly interrupted his pranks, and worse of all, was so boring when he lectured. Naruto sighed heavily to himself. But he was also the only one Naruto was likely to get answers from.

Tomorrow he would talk to Iruka about this.

* * *

><p>Iruka Umino had seen quite a few things in his time as a teacher. From fangirl brawls to an Inuzuka's dog actually eating his homework. However before him was something he thought he would never see.<p>

Naruto Uzumaki, the troublemaker and the future deadlast of his class, was approaching him for help with something after class. The boy that goofed off during lectures and almost never turned in his class work was asking for help. Iruka couldn't hold back the urge to pinch himself, and the sting he felt told him that it was neither a dream nor genjutsu.

It wasn't that he hated the boy. He had at first, but after seeing himself so many times in the young prankster he found it rather hard to hate him. He was however very very frustrated with the young boy. He never seemed to pay attention.

Which is what made this extra weird. "Yes Naruto? What can I help you with?"

The boy looked kinda nervous and… anxious about whatever he was going to ask. He didn't do anything actually illegal, like steal the sacred scroll, did he?

"Iruka, I found these and wanted to learn more about them." the young boy said taking out a pair of beaten up fans onto the desk with a clunk. Wait a clunk?

The Chuunin picked up one of the fans and gave out a whistle as he opened it. "Naruto where did you find a pair of tessen war fans?"

"The trash." the boy admitted sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"Really?"

"Yes! I don't steal, believe it!" the claimed angrily. Iruka just nodded. He was sure he didn't, but had to double check. It made him sad though. Both because his student went through the trash, and because someone would throw something like this away. With proper care they could be saved.

"Alright Naruto these are tessen war fans. They were made popular by samurai, and are used for a variety of reasons from being a covert weapon to warding off arrows along with other uses. Though they have recently seen some use outside of the samurai forces, its not much, and not many in this size." He stated. And for once Naruto was paying attention.

"These are actually weapons?" The boy looked a little skeptical.

Iruka decided that a lecture wasn't going to be enough and stood taking a fan in each hand and stood in the middle of the room much to the confusion of his student, but he ignored him for a minute as he took a breath and fell into a stance.

Then he took a step forward towards an invisible opponent and with a dual ZIIIIIP-CRACK he opened the fans with a flick of the wrist, noting they were a little slow. Though that could be a combination of both himself and the fans both being rusty. Another step forward and he pushed the fan in the left hand into the air with a flick causing it to flip in the air causing his opponent to follow the fan's trajectory up,. He capitalized on the opening the maneuver presented and slashed with his right fan and caught the falling fan with his left hand.. then pressed the advantage as he slashed and whirled with the fans, Then with a ZIIIIP-CLICK he flicked the fan in his right to close and knocked away the kunai going for his vitals and then leapt back to open up distance. The fan in his left hand went up and fended off a hail of shuriken then with another ZIIP-CLICK it closed as well. Now he was back in close. His opponent was trying to stab him with a kunai again. He decided to end it. He caught the underside of his opponent's wrist with his right fan then slammed his left fan into the inner elbow causing the arm to bend. He stepped into his opponent's guard getting a leg behind his opponent's and tripping him. The finishing blow came in the form of the right fan getting pulled back and coming down into the opponent's throat.

With a calming breath he stood and flicked both fans to the side without unfolding them and then tucked them into his belt before turning to his student. Who just stared at him in awe. "Yes they are indeed weapons."

He watched the boy's jaw work without a sound. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Surprised?"

"Yes!" The boy exclaimed with volumes that almost rivaled his pink haired classmate. "Can you teach me?"

"Naruto not only are you doing badly in class, you don't even try there. Why would I teach you something in addition to it ?" the instructor asked with a raised brow.

"But teach, your lectures are so boring." his student replied much to his ire. "If they were more like what you just showed I would pay way more attention." he added waving his arms in excitement. 'I mean with the slashes to the body and arms of your attacker and how you deflected those shuriken and the final stab after the takedown. Thats what I want to learn, not some dumb boring history that won't be any use to me now."

"Naruto if you do-" Iruka started as he entered lecture mode only to stop as his student's words sank in. "Wait you saw all that?" That was a surprise. Yeah it was a basic kata , but someone with no experience with the weapon, let alone someone without experience period, shouldn't be able to dissect it like that.

"Well yeah, It's what makes sense with the movements. It's practical. You need moves like that and jutsu to really win , not facts of a fight hundreds of years ago."

Now Iruka's brain was working overtime. Naruto seemed to be a Oratory learner. Maybe even Kinetic. He needed to see it and do it to learn it. It wasn't a conventional learning method outside of P.E. and Taijutsu. However it fit the blonde's personality. That might have been why… A plan dawned in his head.

"Fine I will teach you." he said with a smile as he watched his student started to cheer before he dropped the bomb. "However I have a warning and a price."

This sobered the blonde right up as he looked anxious at his teacher. "Warning? Price?"

"Yes, not every lesson I teach you about this subject will be fast, easy, or exciting. They will be long, arduous, and one at a time. Each lesson will make you proficient, but not perfect, before it ends." he stated with a serious look and was quite happy when the blonde nodded determinedly.

"The price is that you must turn in all your school work before each lesson. The work must be at least half way done, and most of it has to be correct. I don't want blank sheets, or pages filled with drivel. I want proof that you're trying. If you start slipping in class you will get no extra training. On top of that as the lessons continue I will up the price as is appropriate. Understand?"

And now Naruto looked like he wanted to argue. Then his eyes fell onto the fans still tucked into Iruka's belt, then to the place where Iruka's 'opponent' was 'killed'. He sighed and looked like he swallowed a lemon whole as he grumbled "...Yes."

"What was that?" Iruka said with a hand to his ear smiling a bit as he milked this.

Naruto sounded even less happy as he said "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now go home and rest and do the work I gave you today to the required amount and I will make a list of basic lessons that you can pick from tomorrow."

With that a grumbling Naruto left, and Iruka was left to contemplate his latest encounter with the boy. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

He took out the fans and looked them over. They were in rough shape but a little care they could shine again. He chuckled as he couldn't help but compare the fans with his wayward student. A fan like this could easily be used to bludgeon someone down. But its real power lay in their versatility, which could only be accessed if you bothered to unfold it. That was what he planned to do with Naruto. Even if it was panel by panel, spine by spine., he would unfold his student's will and see just how far it could go.

Iruka left the classroom with a bounce in his step. He had to take his own advice. He had a new lesson plan to create by tomorrow. This would be fun.


	2. vertical flip

'Okay so maybe Iruka's lectures weren't all boring and useless.' Naruto thought as the class filed out for the day.

It had certainly been an interesting day so far. A day that had started with him turning in his homework, which got him quite a few glances since he almost never turned in his homework. Not that they knew that he struggled with answering what he could for the work. The paper was just so boring and so needless. He honestly didn't see a reason to do it. It wouldn't make him a stronger ninja to complete it after all.

However that little event was quickly overshadows when Iruka started teaching.

Naruto was very sure he wasn't the only one that had settled in prepared for another boring, by the book, word for word lecture. He was also sure he wasn't the only one surprised when they watched Iruka walk up to the black board and start drawing out a strange looking Kunai and a symbol he was sure was to a hidden village. Mizuki certainly looked shocked.

Iruka pointed to the symbol which were four sorta squiggly diagonal lines in a square formation. "This is the symbol of Kirigakure, the village hidden in mist. It's a village whose ninja's have mostly a water affinity, meaning they can do water jutsus very easily. And this," he continued pointing to the picture of the kunai which certainly looked strange. It had two edges and a point but… it looked longer than the standard kunai. The point was thinner. In fact the entire thing looked thinner, up until it got to this strange inward curve that was created to one side that made it look like a L shape on one side. Naruto felt the wheels in his mind spinning as he started to tear apart the design, and seeing its uses. "is the standard kunai for Kirigakure." Iruka concluded.

The teacher then scanned the faces of the class before stopping at his. "Naruto tell me the biggest function of this kunai."

Naruto didn't say anything for a bit, and despite several people giving him impatient looks Iruka just watched him. waiting patiently. "Thrusting." Was his final answer, but before he continue on…

"Of course it is you idiot. All kunai are meant for thrusting. Why did it take you so long to come up with the obvious answer?" his crush Sakura berated, causing the blonde to deflate.

"Miss Haruno, I did not call on you, and I would greatly appreciate it if you did not interrupt your classmates when they are not done. " their teacher scolded the pinkette before turning his attention back to Naruto. "Please continue."

"Ummm, I… well I was going to say that longer thinner blade means you have a longer reach. The thinner blade also means you have more penetrating power as well as the ability to slip into smaller places than the standard kunai." He explained and felt himself go on the roll as his mind started piecing things together. "The L curve at the bottom would also make it to the blade can only go so far in meaning you have less chance of stabbing too deep and losing the kunai."

Iruka nodded. "Very good. There's also another good trait about this blade. But it goes around a different part of the kunai." The teacher turns to the board and points to the ring of the kunai. "Sakura, tell me three things the ring is good for."

"Of course teacher, The ring is used for quicker drawing, tying string or rope to the kunai and… ummm…. and…" Naruto watched as one of the smartest students in the class faltered as she stared at the picture. Her face turning to one of panicked confusion as she couldn't name a third thing. Naruto had an idea but he stayed quiet.

"That is alright Sakura,' the chuunin dismissed with a kind smile, "Shikamaru what's the third thing?"

The lazy boy looked up from where he was napping and sighed out a "troublesome" before sitting up and looking at the picture. "Blocking thrusted or thrown kunai." He answered after a few seconds.

"Correct., Thank you." The teacher then went to his desk and drew out a kunai just like the one drawn on the board. "Though it is a rather hard skill to train and even harder to use in combat, it is possible to block an incoming kunai with the ring of your own. It's good for both intimidation through skill as well as keeping your kunai in a good position to defend yourself." He explained before flipping the kunai underhand and turning to his assistant Mizuki.

"Mizuki please draw a kunai and come here. We shall show them." He instructed of his fellow instructor who looked unsure as he drew a kunai and approached Iruka. "Now slowly stab at me."

Mizuki did as instructed stabbing forward towards Iruka's body in the heart area. Just as slowly Iruka placed the ring of his kunai in the way bracing the kunai with hi free one.. The blade slid into the hole and stopped about halfway down the blade still almost half an inch from Iruka's flak jacket. "As you can see class, this is about what you are to expect from this maneuver. While catching a throw you only need one hand however bracing like this allows for extra leverage. Also note the spacing. This is the amount of spacing that allows you keep them from piercing you while at the same time keeping your guard up. Mizuki please withdraw and take a defensive stance."

Mizuki again did as he was told, but this time looks a little more nervous. This time Iruka flipped his kunai into the over hand position and thrusted towards Mizuki's heart. However this time as the kunai passed through the hole it went past the mid-blade point and Mizuki was forced to push his hands forward to keep the kunai from piercing his flak jacket going almost all the way to the L curve.

"Now class notice the difference." Iruka said in his lecture voice again. "As you can see Mizuki is now pushing forward to prevent my blade from getting close. This does keep me from stabbing him, however this opens him up to a follow up attack since he is using both arms to block while I am using one to attack. Meaning I can kick him in his open side, launch a fist or grapple with my free hand, or," he drew a second kunai and stabbed Mizuki in the side… or would have if he didn't stop so that the tip was only just touching the jacket, "stab with a second kunai."

He withdrew and gestured Mizuki to take his usual spot. "Now Shino what is the second greatest tactic for this kind of kunai?"

The silent bug ninja in training adjusted his glasses. "Slashing. Why? Because of the L shaped protrusion. Because of its extra point and the inward curve made with it, it allows for more surface area and angle to create a longer and deeper cut."

"Correct. Very good." The chuunin said walking back behind his desk and putting away the kunai. "Now the reason for this is that Kiri is known for its assassination technique, silent killing. This allows for…"

With that Iruka went into Lecture mode. However this time Naruto didn't just tune him out. For once he was paying attention. This is what he had been wanting. Actual application. A reason to learn this. They weren't ninja secrets, but they could help him grow.

It didn't stop there though. Math and history went similarly. Iruka couldn't do as much physically but he asked them questions and had them answer. How the choices were good, where they went wrong, how to apply a problem to their lives… the list went on. And for the first time in his school career Naruto attempted to apply himself in more than just throwing and taijutsu practice.

He was brought out of his revelry by a clearing of the throat.

"Well Naruto? You going to come down here and start the lesson? Or are you going to sit there all day?" he heard his teacher scold lightly though the smile on his face ruined any seriousness that was present.

Naruto stood from his seat, and moved so fast to the teacher's desk that it looked like he shunshined. "Lesson please."

Iruka chuckled and handed him a paper that had the list of lessons to look at. Naruto took it and looked over the lessons. Care and sharpening. Alright. Drawing and putting away. Sensible. Wait why were folding and unfolding separate lessons? And why weren't all the attacks grouped together? Naruto's frown grew bigger and bigger as he looked down the list. "Teach? What is this? Are you trying to cheat me?"

He heard Iruka sigh. 'No I am not. Each of those lessons are far more complicated than you think they are and will take time to get down effectively."

"Pfft." Naruto said. "I doubt it. You are just trying to stretch this so I have to do more work just to learn these basics and by the time I am done with them You won't have to teach me the advanced because I'll be out of the academy." He accused looking up from the paper and seeing the blank stare of his teacher looking back at him. It was the first time he had ever seen Iruka stare at him with such a blank mask. It made him shiver a little bit.

"I knew you wouldn't like the lesson plans, but to accuse me of such. Especially after the lesson I just did." Iruka closed his eyes took a breath and shook his head. The blonde student could feel the disappointment rolling off his teacher. "Luckily I had prepared something just in case. I will let you show me how easy the basics are. I will have you do three of them and give you three tries for each. If you can get two out of three basics down in three tries I will let you dictate the lessons and compress them down. if you cannot you will do things my way. Agreed?" Iruka explained in a cold voice.

Naruto shivered again. he had seen Iruka angry. He was a prankster, how could he not. He had been on the wrong end of the demon head jutsu and heard Iruka shout many times. But this coldness, it was on a whole nother level. Naruto suddenly wanted to apologize but his pride and stubbornness got the better of him. 'I agree." he said.

Iruka nodded and drew forth Naruto's fans and handed him one. "We will start with unfolding." Iruka instructed and with a flick of his wrist and slight movement of his fingers had the fan open fully. "You have three tries."

Naruto nodded and flick of his wrist. Opening the fan about three fourths of the way.

"Close it and try again." Was Iruka's cold reply. Naruto did as he bid and flicked his wrist again. He felt he was missing something as the fan opened as far as last time. "Again."

Naruto was growling in his throat as he closed the fan and this time flicked his wrist hard. The fan flew open with a loud ZIIIP-CRACk before slipping from his fingers which just couldn't grip the smooth surface well enough. "You have failed. Next test."

"Wait hold up." Naruto interrupted feeling upset. 'I opened the fan all the way this time!"

"But then dropped it. If you can not properly unfold the fan so you can keep a hold of it then you might as well not unfold it." Iruka explained coldly. "A drawn sword means nothing if it is on the ground. Now pick it up, make sure it is opened all the way, and then refold it." He punctuated by folding his fan with another flick of the wrist.

Naruto nodded and flicked his wrist in about the same way Iruka did, but failed to close it all the way. Without his teacher saying anything he opened it back up with his other hand and flicked harder. This time he closed it all the way but pinched his fingers and dropped it. Looking up into the scowling face of his teacher Naruto scowled back, picked up the fan, opened it, and then flicked it closed sloppily wrapping his fingers around it keeping it closed and in hand.

"Sloppy but good enough I suppose." Iruka said dismissing the achievement and making Naruto scowl deeper. "Now we will test slashing." Iruka set two logs on the desk. 'These soft wood log with be the target. You must slash a single straight line between these two line." He explained dryly as he pointed out two dark lines and the thin space in between. He then stepped up to one of the logs and with a flick opened his fan and slashed across the thin space making a single straight line. Then he frowned and slashed again much to Naruto's confusion before nodding. "Your turn."

Naruto approached his log and opened up the fan with both hands before gripping the bottom, again similar to Iruka. It felt alien to him. He then slashed and saw his line start straight only to angle up half way through. "AGAIN!" His teacher demanded. Naruto grumbled to himself but slashed again this time his slash angled down. "This is the basic attack of tessen. How is this difficult? Do it again." Now naruto was pissed and slashed out this time doing a single straight line… above the top black line. "Another failure. You lose our arrangement."

"I can do this!" Naruto claimed pointing to the straight line. "SEE!?"

"I see a strike that missed the target. If you were trying to make them drop an important item or let go of a hostage you just damaged the object or even killed the hostage. If it was armor you just did something ineffective and opened yourself up to an attack. You have failed."

"This isn't fair!" He claimed. "You taught me nothing and expect me to do perfect? I did well for not knowing anything."

"Fair? You agreed to the terms. You seemed to believe that each lesson was so easy to grasp. So if that's true then the three tries I gave you should have been enough. So why weren't they? The tests were straightforward enough. Was I wrong to think that you could do any of this?"

"I DON"T KNOW HOW TO DO ANY OF THIS! HOW CAN I DO SOMETHING OR UNDERSTAND IT IF I DON'T KNOW IT!?"

"Exactly." Iruka said his voice and face thawing, "You assumed that you could easily learn this, but don't know what you are getting into." the teacher continued with a much softer voice. "Your fingers weren't in the right place for either unfolding or folding. Your suppose to use your fingers to help do both. And your slash needs to be aimed and done with the full arm for accuracy and power. You were also far too stiff."

"Why… why did you do all this?" Naruto asked shaken a little by the change.

"Because you needed a lesson. Nothing is as easy as it looks. Nothing worth having comes quickly. As your teacher and a former student of what you want to learn I know what I'm talking about since I have been through it. I do know what you are getting into. If I believe we need to do things slowly it is because it is best done slowly. If you learn it faster than expected then we can adjust and learn more. I am not trying to cheat you, or trick you, or milk this for all its worth."

Naruto looked down at his feet feeling some shame. "I'm sorry teach. I just…" He began only to be cut off by a gentle hand being placed on his shoulder.

"It's alright Naruto i understand, I'm sorry I had to be cruel but it was a lesson that had to be taught. Now you know right?"

Naruto nodded his head rapidly up and down and then looked at his teacher. "Thank you."

"Your welcome. Now do you have any questions?"

"Actually yes. Why did you cut the log twice?"

Iruka smiled and turned to his log pointing to the end of the first cut. which was angled down ever so slightly. "Simple, because I messed up. So I cut gain to prove I could do it perfectly."

"But the angle is so slight. No one would notice."

"True but I did. And on the field if I did a cut like that my fan would have rubbed against my opponent's armor and possibly slowed down my withdraw by the slightest of margins. In the field the smallest of mistakes can kill you."

Naruto was stunned. 'B-but, this isn't the field, and you're the teacher. You could have gotten away with the first slash." he tried to say.

Iruka shook his head with a smile. "Naruto if I don't hold myself to the same standard I enforce on my students what kind of teacher am I?"

Naruto could only stand there and blink unable to answer. Iruka chuckled fondly and then placed the list back into Naruto's hands and turned him around. before placing the pair of fans on his desk. "It looks like I gave you quite a bit to think about. So how about I take you out for ramen, and you take the list home to think of your first lesson? After you finish your homework alright?"

Naruto nodded dumbly. "Good. Also just so you know. I listed the lessons in the order I think you should take them in, but the order is up to you. Now let's go." With that the teacher pushed his student towards the door .

Naruto moved mechanically as his mind tried to wrap itself around what it just learned. Maybe Iruka was right he had far too much on his mind. However he had to admit, maybe things wouldn't be so bad. Especially if he could constantly get free ramen out of this.


	3. Slash inside guard

Everything was changing. No that wasn't right. Everything had already changed, and Sakura Haruno wasn't sure if she liked it.

She would have liked to say it happened slowly, but that would be a lie. The first change had in fact been very quick an abrupt. Iruka just on the fly changing how he taught the class threw her for a loop. Threw a lot of people for a loop to be honest. Though many in the class had been quick to right themselves.

She hadn't been one of them.

She hadn't dropped to the bottom or even the middle of the class of course. She was one of the smartest students in the class after all. But she had slipped for a bit. It took time for her adjust to the new way of teaching. Luckily she had already all but memorized the books she needed to read, and knew what was being talked about.

Not that that helped when the teacher brought up material and information that wasn't covered in their books. When he went out of the box. Like with that kunai ring question he asked her. That had been embarrassing

However while she slipped, others climbed. Especially one idiot named Naruto Uzumaki..

Admittedly, she didn't notice it right away. This change had been slow. At least that's how it appeared to the pinkette. The loudmouth, orange jumpsuit wearing, not sasuke, idiot had just… stopped being that. Not that she paid attention to him. After all he kept asking her for dates, and she was busy trying to appear available and perfect for Sasuke.

So when the idiot stopped asking her out she sorta just forgot about him. Until earlier today. When he beat Sasuke in taijutsu.

Not that there had been anything different that day. Sasuke had been called up to the ring for spars. She and her fellow fangirls screamed and cheered as they gazed upon the hot perfection that was Sasuke. His face set in its usual calm and confident look of determination.

However that handsome face was soon beset with a deep frown of displeasure. Sakura's head turned to see what was causing the love of her life so much displeasure. She then spotted Naruto, the class idiot, standing there across from Sasuke in a taijutsu stance she had never seen before

Not that she would call it a taijutsu stance. He seemed to just be standing there with his knees slightly bent and arms loose. His hands were fists just… sitting there. She expected Iruka to yell at him for slacking like he usually did. However the teacher stood in his usual spot and called for the start of the spar.

However she didn't let that get to her. Sasuke was still going to win, and this would just make it easier. Oh how wrong she was.

With his signature sexy snort Sasuke charged forward with speeds no one in class could match. He cocked back his right fist and prepared to deliver a punch that was clear to end the fight with a single blow.

Only for Naruto to slap away the punch and then duck under the follow up round house. This was followed by a roll under the last Uchiha, and then standing and turning toward the raven haired boy. Sasuke of course followed up with another punch. This time fist was stopped by an open hand. The inner elbow was struck by a fist. The arm was then bent towards the shoulder and followed by a knee to the gut. The trapped arm was pulled forward as his captor twisted and kneeled to the floor causing Sasuke to fall to the floor, and lay on his stomach. The fist was then taken away from the elbow though the arm remained bent. The fist was drawn back, and then came crashing down… stopping just above the Uchiha's temple.

The only thing that could be heard after Iruka declared Naruto the winner and the blonde had stepped out of the ring was silence. No one spoke. Hardly a breath was taken. Though Sakura thought she heard someone whisper "good job Naruto." but that had probably been her imagination. Who would cheer for that… loser?

Though thinking back she wasn't sure if she could call him that anymore. In the last three years, he stopped being the dead last of the class. He turned in his work daily now. Not to mention he seemed to be developing his own skills to great levels. Then again beating Sasuke had been a fluke. Right? Right. It had to have been. No one could be Sasuke that easily.

Sakura had just finished convincing herself of that as everyone packed up to leave. Naruto was probably going to stay behind like always. Now that she thought about it… if he was turning in his work and not being as loud or obnoxious… why was he staying after class so much? Especially since the teacher never told him to?

Her gaze went over the quickly emptying class and found the blonde just starting to stand from his seat and create eye contact with her. However as he started to walk towards her with a smile on his face, probably to ask her out now that he beat Sasuke, not that it would mean anything, he was suddenly cut from her vision by a back that was covered with a blue shirt that had a red and white fan emblazoned on it.

'Dobe, what was that that you did in our spar?" Sasuke rightfully asked his opponent from earlier.

"Oh that? It was something I have been working on for a while. I finally received permission to use it in class." she could hear the blonde brag. Trying to prove something no doubt. "It's still not perfect but it is definitely getting there." Yep definitely trying to brag.

'Teach me." her crush rightfully and politely asked. Not that he needed to ask. He was the last Uchiha. The last of a powerful and famous clan.

"Why?" did he really just ask that? He didn't need a reason! He was Sasuke! You were pretty much meant to give him anything he wanted.

"Because I want to know. It is something I have never seen and I must know it. If I don't know it, there is a chance the person i wish to surpass doesn't either."

"It won't be easy Sasuke. It took me over a year to develop as far as I have gotten, and that was after years of learning the basic skills I based it off of. It won't be fast. You will have to spend time learning, mastering, and relearning basic skills before moving onto to the advance ones. Even after learning the advance ones."

Sasuke gave a snort and Sakura had to stop herself from swooning. "It doesn't matter, dobe. If it took you years then it should only take me days. I must learn it. So you must teach me."

"No, I honestly don't. Just like you don't have to know what I know. You want something fast in order to inflate your ego. I can't and won't supply that. Your ego is big enough." How dare he!? How dare he speak to Sasuke like that?!

She watched as her crush reared back a fist until a cleared throat turned three sets of eyes toward Iruka who just stared at the raven haired student. Until said student grunted and slipped both hands into his pockets and calmly walked out of the classroom. She watched as her teacher sighed and then went back to grading papers.

"Hey Sakura." a voice drew her gaze and made her look at the one person she didn't want to look at at the moment. "I was wondering if-"

"I'm not going to go out with you Naruto." she preempted bitterly. It had been a while since he last tried but she knew he would eventually. Which is why she was caught off guard when he started chuckling.

"I was going to say, if wanted a sure way to win over Sasuke."

Sakura felt her jaw drop, which only caused the blonde in front of her to chuckle some more. "What do you mean? Why would you do that?"

'Well it is no secret that I had a crush on you." Had? "So I want to see you do well. That also means you will likely get with Sasuke, But I can live with that. That is if you learn what I have to teach."

Wait… this was perfect. If she learned what he refused to teach Sasuke, then she could train Sasuke. She would have an excuse to get close to the boy of her dreams. Then he would be thankful to her and they would finally get married after he realized how much he loved her. YES! PERFECT! Except that she had to learn from Naruto… but she could deal with that if in the end she got what she wanted.

"Fine, what do I have to do?"

Naruto smiled wide. She really hated that smile. It was so bright and happy. It made everything and everyone else dim. She couldn't have that. Sasuke was the man for her and he would be her light. "Just come by the training grounds behind the Academy tomorrow at noon, and follow my lessons to the letter. We will go from there."

"Fine. I'll do it." she said, then watched a his smile brightened further.

"GREAT! Then I will see you then. Remember, be there at noon." he said then turned and left giving a nod to Iruka who gave one back. They seemed to share a smile between the two of them, but she guessed it was just the light playing tricks. Then she saw movement. Did someone just follow Naruto out? Someone else had been in the room?

* * *

><p>She always watched him from afar. Watched him grow, and shine even as the world tried to fill him with darkness.<p>

Hinata was still amazed at how much Naruto grew in the three years since Iruka first changed his way of teaching, and Naruto started taking after school lessons. She wished she had the courage to watch those lessons or better yet ask if she could join in. She had tried many times, but her lack of confidence and need to get home always stopped her.

Not that she had much to go home to. Her father was getting more disappointed in her by the day. Her sister getting colder with every spar she beat Hinata in. And Neji… she didn't want to think about him right now. All that combined with her lack of being the number one student made it so that even though she was growing with Iruka's new teaching methods… she wasn't growing enough.

However Naruto was. So she followed and watched him. Tried to take solace and strength from his presence. Even though he always seemed to not notice hers. Just like everyone else. But that was okay. He didn't need to know she was there. So long as she could see him. See the boy that protected her at age 5. The boy that inspired her.

She couldn't do it too often now and days though. She couldn't hang around the school while he took his lessons with Iruka. Far too suspicious and awkward. So instead she would follow him on the weekends and days that he went home instead of staying with Iruka. Days like today.

She followed as silently as the breeze on a calm day. As obvious as a shadow in the darkness. And as boldly as a rabbit that had seen the fox. The irony of that last statement was lost on her as she froze upon making eye contact with the blonde.

The blonde that had just turned around and wa staring straight at her from her hiding spot.

"You going to stay there the entire time like always? or would you like to come out and actually talk to me?" The boy invited.

Hinata squeaked audibly and looked around. She found that they were in the training fields behind the Academy. The place that Naruto went to train on his own. Where he developed his own taijutsu. The place he was going to teach the same that taijutsu to Sakura.

That last one stung a bit.

"Well Hinata?"

Oh he knew her name! He knew who she was… With a blush she stepped out from behind the tree and pressed her pointer fingers together and stared to look up as she heard him chuckle good naturedly.

"Thank you. Now I can finally ask you something. Why have you been following me?" He asked. A hinata opened her mouth with a start he quickly raised her hands in a placating manner. "I'm not mad or upset. I'm just curious even a little flattered. But you could have just as easily approached me and walked with me. Why go through all the trouble of stalking?"

Hinata felt he face blush a deeper red and her fidgeting got worse. Here was her crush actually talking to her. He was aware of her existence and willing to talk to her. In her head she was doing a happy dance even as she felt extremely embarrassed. "I was worried." she finally said after a pause. "I was worried you wouldn't want to talk to me."

She watched the blonde tilt his head and adopt a look of confusion. 'Why not? I'm not that anti-social or emo that I would turn anyone who talked to me down. Especially a girl as cute as you who can kick so much ass."

She smiled a little bit at the praise. "Thank you, but I'm not as good as you think."

"What do you mean? Your one of the best Kunoichi in the class. As well as one of the best fighters."

"Thats the problem. I'm ONE of the best. not THE best. In my clan I might as well be a failure." She then frowned. "I can't even beat my little sister in a spar."

Naruto looked unhappy at that. "That doesn't eem very fair… Wait, why can't you beat her? Is she that skilled?"

Hinata shook her head and bit her lip. Was she really about to confide in him? Yes he was the most likely to understand where she was coming from. "No. She is skilled but… I lose because I don't want to harm her. Family shouldn't seek to hurt one another…"

The frown deepened… but then he nodded. "I think I understand. Hey Hinata would you mind sparring with me? You know my style a bit and I really would like to test it out against someone else other than Sasuke. Despite what your family says. one of the best is still one of the best."

Hinata smiled nervously and nodded before entering the basic stance of her families fighting style, and watched as Naruto entered his own stance. She took a deep breathe in then out and activated her Byakugan. Then she rushed in her hand pulled back then flying forward in a palm strike which was predictably blocked and pushed aside. However Hinata thought it was a bit slower than it should have been. She struck out again and again. Each attack was pushed aside at the wrist and forearm. However they looked so slow. The fight with Sasuke showed that he could lash out quickly and fluidly. This showing now seemed almost sloppy in comparison.

He Byakugan enhanced vision showed her that his muscles and chakra system weren't being pushed as hard as they should be. She looked at his face and saw worry. Why was he worried? He wanted spar with her because she was one of the best right? So what was he worried about? He was skilled in his own right.

She couldn't come up with a reason, so instead pushed the envelope thinking that that putting pressure on him would push him to trying harder.

However nothing changed. Even though her strikes kept getting faster, his blocks stayed about the same speed. And he kept looking worried. It was frustrating. What was he doing? WHY was he doing this? She wa one of the best right? So why was he holding back? Why wasn't he trying? As she got madder and more frustrated she struck harder and faster until she finally got in his guard and struck him. The blonde winced visibly and was put even more on the defensive. However instead of picking up the slack he seemed to get sloppier and sloppier. His defenses opening up more and more as Hinata broke through and struck him over and over again.

She struck him until his very ability to defend himself shattered. Then with one final blow she watched him fall into a heap. Her breathing was heavy with exertion and anger, her cheeks were flushed, and her whole body shook. She turned around and started walking away.

The harsh sound fo coughing stopped her retreated steps. "Ow, Okay that really hurt." Her…. opponent muttered after the coughing subsided. "How do you feel?"

Hinata didn't answer or even turn around. He hands curled into fists. "Do you feel angry? Frustrated? Hurt? Betrayed? Are you wondering how I can say one thing then do another? Wondering why I would go easy on you? If I even respect you? Does it hurt that someone you care about doesn't seem to care back?"

Again Hinata said nothing, but her knuckles became white and her shaking got worst. "I wonder if your sister feels and thinks the same." That made her snap. She turned around and opened her mouth to yell at him. Only to stop cold as the words sank in.

Was that it? Was that why her sister was so cold? It made sense. Hinata was only held back against once and she was this angry… She had held back against Hanabi for years… Oh god. Was this what it was like? What had she done?

Her horrified revery was interrupted by a groan and she focused enough to see her blonde crush rise from the ground slowly. "I see that you understand. You are right that family shouldn't attack each other Maliciously. However a spar is a controlled fight where each person shows their strengths and help point out each other's weaknesses. If you hold back in a spar than you infact harm not just your own growth, but that of your partner. You can also give the wrong impression, and instead of boosting confidence you make them question everything."

Hinata felt terrible. she gasped to herself and turned away. "I have to go and apologize."

However before she could start leaving again, she felt arms wrap around her waist and pull her back into something solid and warm. "Yes you should." said a voice in her ear softly. "however not now. Doing it now would make it look like you're giving an excuse. You should wait to apologize. beat her first. Then apologize in private."

Hinata blinked. Her confusion, outweighing her embarrassment for how close she was to Naruto. "But why? Wouldn't beating her now after losing so much just worsen things?"

"That is why you will be apologizing and explaining in private. To help her save face and allow you to explain. It will also give your apology credence since you honestly could beat her."

Hinta could only nod. That.. made sense… When did he get so good at advice.?

"Good now why don't you meet me back here at noon tomorrow."

"Wait Naruto, aren't you meeting Sakura here at noon? " she asked feeling confused again.

"Yes I am. So? I can have you both here to learn. Besides, why would I want her alone? You're much cuter and more desirable to have around."

That was the nail in the coffin. Those words combined with the close proximity finally caused her brain to melt. With a final little squeak she fainted. yet even as her world went dark, she heard a soft little chuckle and felt her body move a little. "Rest well Hinata. I'll take you home." Then there was nothing more.

* * *

><p>When Naruto arrived at the training field the next day at exactly noon, he noticed that both his prospective students were already there. He also noticed things were going about as well as he expected. Both girls were standing apart from each other with Sakura glaring at Hinata, and Hinata fidgeting and trying to hide in her coat.<p>

"Glad to see you both made it." he called drawing both girl's attention to himself.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura shouted at him with an accusatory point. "And what is SHE doing here? She already has a family fighting style. She doesn't need to learn your's."

"For one I am exactly on time. As I had expected both of you to be. Iruka already went over how being early can give a ninja away to an enemy, which can be just as disastrous as being late and missing the enemy all together. " Naruto calmly scolded and saw Hinata deflate a bit but nod determinedly. Sakura was scowling at him.

"For two, I never said I was teaching anyone my fighting style." That caught the girls by surprise, and he pushed ahead before either one could ask a question. "Hinata is here because I both wish to help her confidence, and because I have a few ideas I want to run by and with her" He focused his attention of the mentioned bluenette as he spoke, and watched her nod in understanding her posture straightening a bit. He let a smile grace his lips before it faded as he turned toward the Pinkette.

"You are a totally different problem. You can barely make it through the Academy's basic physical courses. Your own Taijutsu is sloppy and practically useless. If I were to try and train you, you wouldn't even last the end of the day. It's like you expect Sasuke to take care of you no matter what."

"Of course he would." was the fan girl's predictable response. "He would always help me. It's who he is."

Naruto laughed harshly at that. It was far easier to give this kind of lesson to Sakura than it was to Hinata. Probably because he actually cared for Hinata in a sense. That and this was partially petty revenge. "You really think that? Well then let's pretend for a minute that that is true." Sakura's scowl deepened but he ignored it.

"Sasuke will always protect you okay. What if your not on the same team? What if your team has to travel quickly to get to your mission which is several days run away? You won't have the stamina for that and slowing down to accomodate you will make them late. Will Sasuke be there to carry you? Even if he has a mission himself with HIS team? Going to a location in the opposite direction? Or if he is on your team, would he really be able to carry your weight plus packs the entire time? Would he be fresh enough for the mission if he did?

What about in combat? If sasuke get incapacitated or is in another location holding off his own foes could he save you if you are endanger? Should he, if abandoning his own fight would endanger the client or objective? "

He watched as Sakura's mouth worked without sound. Watched as all the righteous fury left her as she tried to find an argument that could fight off the overwhelming logic. He had her. just one more push.

He gave another laugh, this one harsher and crueler. "You didn't think this through did you? You are considered the smartest person in the class, and you didn't even TRY to think this all the way through. Wow, you are more useless than I first thought. Maybe it isn't even worth trying to train you. Since even if I do you probably wouldn't be able to handle it, let alone teach it to Sasuke. That is if he even give you the chance to, which seeing how he doesn't even TALK to you let alone listen? Ain't happening."

That did it. All the logic and the insults finally made her snap, as he knew they would. She gritted her teeth, snarled, and charged him as predicted. However that haymaker she threw was much sloppier than he thought it would be. Oh well. He took a step to the side and slapped the fist away causing the charging fan girl to lose her balance and stumble forward. As the gentleman he was he decided to help her regain her lost balance.

By grabbing her long silky hair and using it to force her to her knees as well as look up at him.

With practiced ease he took out a single fan and opened it with a flick of his wrist, and placed the thin razor sharp edge to where it was just touching the skin of her exposed neck. With but a twitch he could slice open her throat. From the look of silent fear and panic in her eyes he knew that she knew this,

"Your career as a ninja is about to end before it ever began alongside your life." He said coldly. He felt a lead weight fall into his stomach as he stood there. He couldn't show it but he felt a little nauseous doing this. And he suddenly had a new respect for Iruka for doing similar to him all those years ago. Even if Naruto was doing something a bit more extreme.

"Go ahead and scream, or beg for Sasuke to save you. He is no where near here. I made sure to mention you would be in the area to him before I came and he quickly made for the other side of the village." He stared down at her as she stilled and whimpered, not even trying to struggle. "All it means in the end is that you spent your last few moments terrified and waiting for a rescue that will never come. All because you were too weak to fight, and too obsessed to get stronger. You fell into an obvious trap and will now pay the price with your life."

The fan was pressed a bit more firmly against her skin and her eyes started making a panicked sweep of the clearing until they settled on something. Naruto turned his head to see Hinata staring at them. A worried look on her face and a hesitant posture to her body. She was obviously conflicted between her trust in him (which was good to know that she trusted him so much), and her desire to help Sakura out of a situation that looked really bad for her (which again was good).

He gave a snort while mentally apologizing to Hinata. This would be the second hard lesson in as many days. "What? you think she will help you? A girl you alienated? The same girl you glared at just moments ago and wanted to dismiss? Fat chance. Besides you are supposedly the top kunoichi in class. If I can easily best you, what makes you think that she can do any better." He scolded his eyes never leaving Hinata's,

He watched as the bluenette deflated but then steeled herself as she seemed to understand something. Good, she still had a flame in there just waiting to burn. He saw her hands twitch upward before she minutely shook her head and then charged in. Pity. She almost had the right answer.

He roughly pulled up on Sakura's hair making her yell in pain as he forced her to her feet and in the way of Hinata's charge. This caused the girl to hesitate for half a second before diverting her strike so it wouldn't hit the hostage. Naruto took that opportunity to shove one girl into the other, causing both to shriek in surprise as they tumbled to the ground. He then quickly moved in and stepped onto Sakura's back forcing her and Hinata to stay on the ground while he took out his second fan and held one to each girl's neck. "Now you are both dead." He stated flatly before taking his foot off of Sakura.

As both girls struggled to get up Naruto folded his fans and put them away. "Hinata I'm glad that you decided to help a fellow student. However you went about it all wrong. What were you about to do before you charged?"

Hinata flinched a bit and started fidgeting. "I was going to use body substitution with Sakura. It would get her to safety and let me get close enough to hopefully disable you." She admitted reluctantly. "However the Hyuuga are straightforward fighters that are proud of the fact that they don't need to rely on the tricks of other ninja." She continued as if trying to defend her clan.

'Well in this case your family was wrong. Your first choice would have been the right one. The moment of disorientation would give you at least half a moment to start striking with your gentle fist strikes. As it were you charging in let me use my hostage as a shield. As an enemy I don't care if she lives or dies. In fact I likely want her dead unless she has important intel. You however want her alive so using her as a shield means you are left open." He lectured.

"I'm sorry I have had to be so rough on you, but you have great potential, and a mind that seems to want to be out of the box." He continued which got a small nod and smile from Hinata. As well as a blush. He smiled in return. 'I look forward to seeing what we can do together."

His smile then became a frown. 'Now YOU." he said his voice getting harsh again as he turned toward Sakura. "You have a short fuse when it comes to Sasuke or yourself. You also lack the skills to back up your impulsive actions. Your anger could have gotten both yourself and Hinata killed on the field. Her actions are justified by faulty teachings. You have no such justification."

Sakura visibly deflated even as she opened her mouth to retort, but he quickly cut her off. "As such I will crack down on you. If you want to be even be CONSIDERED useful to Sasuke in the future you will follow what I will say. You will quit dieting, start training, and cut your hair." Again she looked like she wanted to retort but he steamrolled right over her. "Before you even start making the 'I want to look good for Sasuke' argument what good is looking good if you're dead?" That shut her up.

"Hinata I will also ask you to stop wearing that coat.' He saw the other girl flinch. "You will do so while training with me and I want you to at least wear it open when you are elsewhere. I said I was going to work on your confidence. The best first step is to start removing the security blankets. No hiding."

Hinata nodded and reluctantly undid the zipper of her jacket and let it drop to the floor revealing her black shirt and bit of mesh shirt underneath. It also showed that she was far ahead of Sakura in the development department. She didn't have the mature curves of a woman but she was well on her way.

Naruto smiled and looked her up and down. "Much better you really shouldn't hide something so beautiful away." he commented bringing an even deeper blush to the heiress' face.

The moment was ruined by a shrill "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" to Naruto's left.

He couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he turned to see Sakura's jealous face. "What isn't fair?

"Hinata!" She shouted. "How do you have a body like that? What is your secret? What diet do you use?"

Naruto chuckled as Hinata fidgeted. "There is no secret Sakura. That is the body of a kunoichi that eats right and trains often. How do you think a woman's body gets curves? I mean come on we covered physiology in class." he stared at Sakura waiting for an answer that didn't come and sighed. "Curves are developed through both muscle, which you need energy in order to create , as well as to train to develop. You also need fat in order to pad out the areas. Especially in the breast and butt area. Fat is also used at an energy source, and to help support muscles. So by dieting you are actually weakening your bodies ability to grow and stay nourished. As well as ruining your chance to have a killer figure like Hinata." He continued eliciting an "Eeep!" from Hinata.

"How do you know all this? Sakura questioned eyeing him warily.

"The same way anyone could. I talked to Iruka." He explained. "Any student can go to their teacher for help and answers. I was curious about why girls had figures and he explained it to me. Though admittedly... it had been a little awkward," Okay so he really asked Iruka about how he could convince Sakura to do what he wanted.. and it lead to an explanation on figures, and the female anatomy, but she didn't didn't need to know that.

"I also asked him a bit about gentle fist in order to better understand Hinata's style because it interested me. It's amazing how much is known by the populace. Or at least the ninja side of it." He added on for Hinata's benefit. "Now Sakura. since you know see what can happen if you take care of yourself properly I will give you till tomorrow to cut your hair. Its a danger to yourself and your teammates if you don't have the skill to balance out your vanity. It can be no longer than chin length." Sakura reluctantly nodded without taking her eyes off of Hinata. "Good now I want you to go through the Academy's physical regimen for me. And I mean all of it all the way with as much effort as you can muster. Once you are at a level physically where you can actually exercise without passing out, I can teach you something." Sakura scowled but followed his instructions.

He then turned to his other student. "Hinata you and me will run through something for a bit. I want to know more about how a gentle fist user blocks. especially when facing another user of the style." Hinata nodded and dropped into the gentle fist stance with Naruto mirroring her. "Good now we will go slow to start off. Just so I can get a feel and a good look alright?" Another nod, and they started the first of many training days they would have together.


	4. Catch

Alot can happen in five years, and even more can be learned in that time.

From beginning to end, that was how much time was spent in the academy for Iruka and his students. Five years of growing, learning, and changing. Though not every lesson had been academic, nor every change good.

Many of his students, both civilian and ninja alike, had learned the limits of their skills. Some had adapted to the situation. They changed to fit the new criteria and attempted to either grow in their deficiencies, or make up for it with other skills.

Others, sadly the majority, couldn't handle it. They struggled to keep up, and fell like rocks down the rankings.

That being said, based on his observations of the class, Iruka could tell it wasn't so much because he changed his teaching style, he had gone from the standard lecture and quiz heavy style to one that had more examples and visual cues, so much as complacency. Things had always been taught a certain way. The old way of teaching allowed for those that didn't have much skill to make up for it by remembering facts. Regurgitate what you heard and learn the very bare bone basics and you could pass.

Iruka's new style had forced the students to actually thinks about the data that was given to them. To assimilate it and put it to use. He no longer just lectured about history, he opened it up to opinion and debate. Lessons on other villages compared strengths and weaknesses, how they were better and worse than Konoha. Some subjects hadn't been changed much, but the majority had. Some could handle the more out of the box teaching style. Other's couldn't.

The chuunin teacher looked over his classroom as it filled with students. There were fewer of them now than there were. More than a few had dropped out once their faults became more than a little glaring. It had been mostly civilians, but a few from ninja families had taken that option as well. Of those that remained a few clung on and stayed despite being at the bottom of the barrel. Surprisingly that consisted mostly of fangirls. He was sure that they would abandon ship once things got too hard.

Looking upon his remaining students he couldn't help but notice how those that remained stuck to their places in the ranks. Some fell or rose… but for the most part stayed around the same spot. Whether it be because thats where their skills naturally placed them, or where they placed themselves varied from person to person. Though it tended more towards the former than the latter.

The only student whose position had never changed in the entire time he was in the academy had been Sasuke Uchiha. Then again that was a combination of the boy's talents and his desire to stay at the top even if it meant fighting with tooth and claw to stay there.

As it turned out he had a similar learning ability as one Naruto Uzumaki. They both ended up being visual learners. Though the Uchiha was also able to learn just as easily from books and auditory as he was from watching, as opposed to Naruto's knack of learning best by doing. This reflected their slightly different mindset. While both tore apart techniques and tools in their minds, they did it with different goals. Naruto tried to see what something COULD be used for. Anything had a use even if it was unconventional. Sasuke looked at what it WAS used for. Anything that didn't conventionally have a use to quickly up his skill or power was quickly discarded.

This was made apparent in the classroom very quickly, as the Uchiha would barely pay attention anymore except for practical skills. And though he was still number one, the lack of attention and using everything had made it so his lead on the other students was a sliver at best.

This of course was made even MORE apparent when Sasuke learned that he could turn to Iruka for help not long after Sakura and Hinata started training with Naruto. That had been an interesting night…

* * *

><p>Sasuke had stayed after class, and Iruka could guess why. Naruto had luckily decided that day to take Hinata and Sakura out after class as they were still working on their training schedules. Though the smile on Sakura's face practically shined with victory. She had obviously told Sasuke about the possibility of after class lessons.<p>

"I want you to train me like you did the Dobe."

Well.. Iruka would give the boy this much. He was blunt a straightforward. Which wasn't exactly good for DECEPTIVE ninja's. "I suppose I could. But you realize that just like he said, it would take time to learn. What I taught him only looks simple."

"I don't care. If he could learn it, so can I. And I will do it better and faster than him, for I am an elite."

Iruka held back a sigh, and instead adopted a serious face and took out a pair of tessen that were a bit more traditional than Naruto's. A cloth fan with iron spines. They were lighter than narutos and less likely to be under suspicion. Even if they lacks all the hitting power and resilience.

The last Uchiha just stared at the little weapons. He said nothing, but the look said it all. He obviously did not see these as weapons. So wordlessly Iruka took up his position in the center of the empty classroom and ran through the same Kata that he had for Naruto. However at the end, unlike Naruto's silent awe, Sasuke merely looked at the teacher. Then his eyes shifted to the weapons. His eyes were calculating, judging the weapon's worth. Tessen was not a conventional art. It was not an obvious threat. After a minute of mental debate the Uchiha nodded.

Iruka walked back behind his desk and pulled out a worn piece of paper. The list of tessen lessons he made for naruto years back. "Then pick from this list and I will start teaching you. They are in order of what I think is important, but you can go in any order you want. I will also teach one lesson a day."

Sasuke's scowl only grew as his eyes traveled over the paper. He snapped when Iruka mentioned one at a time. "What is this? I told you I am an elite. I am the best in your class. How dare you put me so low. And why even bother teaching some of this? A weapon is might make the user stronger. What use are tricks? And a whole lesson devoted to care?" He scoffed.

This time Iruka did sigh and then looked very serious. "Everything has a purpose, but if you have a problem then fine. Naruto did too. So I will do the same for you as I did him." With that he handed over a fan. "I will give you three tests. I will test you on the basics showing you each one once. You have three chances for each test. If you can get two out of three you can set the pace and the schedule. If you can't we will do it MY way. agreed?"

That got the cocky smile out and about. "Agreed. I look forward to you doing it my way."

"Good" Iruka opened the fan with a flick of his wrist. "First test is to open it just like that. all the way."

Sasuke snorted and flicked his wrist… and got barely halfway as his fingers got in the way. He blinked at it in surprise. Then closed it and and did it again, adjusting his fingers… three-quarters…. He scowled.

"Last attempt." Iruka said coldly.

"Show me again." Sasuke demanded. He obviously noticed he was missing something as he stared t the open fan in Iruka's hand.

"No. We agreed on once. I showed you once. Now do your last attempt."

That got a deeper scowl as Sasuke closed the fan and flicked it open trying to mirror Iruka's fingers. He was close but still off. The fan opened nine-tenths.

"Failure number one. Open it all the way with your other hand then close it. Like this." Iruka flicked the fan closed.

The black haired boy wordlessly opened up the fan… then studied it and then Iruka's… He flicked the fan closed. His fingers shot out and finished the closing before the fan could get stuck. It was a bit of a cheat and would cost him in the field, However this time he would not admonish him.

"We will work on it later. For now it will do." That got another scowl from the Uchiha, which the teacher ignored as he reached behind his desk and got out two logs. "You will use this soft wood log for your next test. Strike in a perfectly straight line between the two lines here." he pointed out the target. Then lined up with his own log and demonstrated the cut. This time he didn't need to redo it.

The arrogant smirk was back. In what little they did with weapons in class, he was the top of the class. He stepped up to the log and opened the fan. WIth a simple swing of his arm he made a cut in the wood. "Now when shall we start the real lessons." He said smugly.

Iruka looked at the cut. "When you start following instructions." He pointed out a small downturn near the end of the cut. Sasuke scowled. Then cut again... this time there was a small upturn from over compensation, which Iruka pointed out. The third had been even worse... there was a downturn in the beginning and the end this time. "Thats failure two. We now do it my way."

The stoic student snapped. "That's not fair! How can you ask for so much perfection from a first time?!"

"Because you claimed you could do it. Because Naruto was able to give me a perfectly straight line. with just as much experience as you had. Even less really."

That seemed to have been a blow too many to his ego. The Uchiha had slammed the fan onto the desktop and stormed off seething.

* * *

><p>Things had really only gone downhill from there. Not only had the dark haired student started being even colder to Sakura in general, but had constantly attempted to challenge and defeat Naruto. Who at this point was second by only a sliver.<p>

Thinking of Naruto and Sakura… they along with Hinata were probably the three students that had profited the most from this new class arrangement. Well, it was more like Naruto had, and the two girls were profiting off him. In their own ways.

Each had grown and changed over the five years. Well okay Hinata and Sakura were only over the last two, but that was inconsequential.

Both girls had come a long way from where they started. Though still a self-proclaimed fangirl, Sakura had toned down her habits. She no longer shrieked or swooned in Sasuke's presence or at his every action. Her rivalries for his affections slowly died down. And to round it all off she stopped attacking those who insulted Sasuke. Even though she still twitched on occasion. She had also cut her hair to chin length and started eating right. Though The teacher could tell it was probably only because Hinata had a similar haircut and diet that she did so. The pinkette had started seeing the bluenette as a rival of sorts. A mentality that was somewhat mutual.

Hinata for her her piece was still easily embarrassed and shy to those she didn't know well. However she had becomes more confident in her abilities and actions. Her stuttering was almost non-existent, as was her blushing along with that bulky jacket of hers. He wasn't too sure about her home life, but according to Naruto, she was making great strides in fixing the gaps between herself and her family. Which since Hiashi himself had given the greenlight for her private training after some discussion and demonstrations, was evident in some ways at least. Though strangely enough she and the blonde weren't an official couple. seemingly despite the latter's not so subtle affections. Though he was sure that was more because of their age and the girl's clan than any lingering self doubt she may have felt.

On the training side of things both girls started around the same level strangely enough. Sakura, when she finally had enough physical stamina to actually train in taijutsu, found that while she was quite strong, her attacks were too big and obvious to actually hit anyone. Hinata on the other hand had an established fighting style that wasn't meant for her. It was like she was trying to bend herself to fit the style instead of the other way around. It was too stiff and straightforward for the girl. So in response both Iruka and Naruto turned to their biggest source of inspiration to help solve the girls' problems. Tessen.

With Sakura, it was discovered why she was considered the smartest student in the class. When she wasn't distracted by a certain element, her mind quickly went over variables and created calculations. Now she wasn't very good at formulating plans or strategies but those calculations plus a strength that was starting to show itself could be combined in two simple concepts. Limb entrapment and takedowns. She was almost a natural art it. With her budding strength she could hold a person in place easily. With her analytical mind she could judge the pressure needed to hold or force someone down, or the leverage and angle needed to throw. To help her first in starting out and later as an extra tool or weapon for when she needed that extra "hmph" she got her hands on a short metal club that looked kinda like a folded fan.

Hinata's route was that of defense. She already had a foundation of speed and flexibility on which to build on. They didn't even have to change too much about the Juken at first. It mostly boiled down to blocking more than striking and using the blocks as an excuse to force small amounts of chakra into the opponent's limbs which slowly built up to cause cramps and limited motions. It also introduced the use of weapons, in this case a fan made of lacquered wood, that could be used to help deflect blows or as an extension of the Juken to give her strikes more range. In either case she learned how to push her chakra into her weapon of choice and learned that the small fan was very good at channeling her chakra for whatever reason. The byakugan and her situational awareness was also trained, with help from Hiashi, so that she could handle defenses against multiple opponent and notice small things that could infiltrate her defense.

After almost 2 years of their chosen fighting style, a little less for Sakura, their bodies started reflecting their training. Sakura was beginning to show the curves she had always wanted. Though probably not in the quantity she desired. She also developed strong corded muscle that though it wasn't visible or greatly defined, could certainly be felt to both by touch and in their power. Hinata had gone the complete opposite route. With her emphasis on flexibility and speed her body actually slimmed down slightly and took on more of the look of a dancer than a fighter. Not that you should ever let those looks fool you. As many students found out in spars.

However neither girl could have even started to change if the boy responsible for it hadn't changed first. And boy had Naruto changed..

Gone was the orange jumpsuit. While the outfit certainly helped throw opponents off guard, and could possibly in the future cause others to underestimate him, such an outfit wasn't very good for field work. Granted being able to hide from and lose pursuit while wearing it was great for stealth training. However, when he became a ninja he couldn't take chances and would need an outfit that could look both civilian and help him in stealth. This was just another lesson Iruka had taught his favorite student. So in its place was a dark brown shirt, black pants, and black shinobi sandals. As for under the clothes well, years of properly guided training and attempts at a much healthier diet, hindered by most stores that were unwilling to sell him much, but helped by a certain heiress making him bento for lunches, had helped fill out and tone the blonde into a lean muscled figure. He was still short but hey puberty hadn't hit yet. So who knew how that would end up.

Personality wise Naruto was very much the same,, just in better control of his emotions and prone to thinking about his actions before jumping in,. This was a culmination of several years of a proper mentor and role model being there to point out and fix mistakes and give him the attention he craved. That wasn't to say that the blonde was no longer a loudmouth obnoxious brat that was easily carried away by emotion. Especially if that emotion was anger caused by some perceived slight. It just meant that it took more to get him to do it, and that he was more likely to think things through..

All their time together also instilled a sense of work ethic and a love of learning and teaching. Which oddly enough meshed with Naruto's habit of pranking others. Despite becoming more mature in ways, the young blonde still loved to mess with the village at large. The only differences now were that he was more subtle about it, wasn't trying to get attention, and that no one had proof it was ever him. Oh, that and he now had help. Iruka still had no idea how he got the girls to help him out. Well he had an idea for Hinata. After all the girl had quickly become the blondes best friend and was more than happy to help in anyway she could, But Sakura? Yeah no clue.

It wasn't like the girl was unfriendly towards Naruto anymore. Two years of training with someone and having them personally train had a way of getting you comfortable in their presence and making you want to be at least civil with the other person. They weren't the best of friends, but the pinkette could be seen eating lunch with Hinata and Naruto at school and occasionally hanging out. Which was what made the fact that she helped on these pranks so strange. It didn't seem up her alley.

Not that she wasn't apparently a boon for such things. She apparently was very good at logistics. Able to figure out how much of an item they would need, and how to best implement it. That combined with Naruto's trapping and infiltration skills, and Hinatas information gathering abilities meant that the trio could pull off some really elaborate pranks. Such as repainting an entire room neon pink without moving anything in it using only a handful of paint exploding tags, somes tarps to protect the floor, some brushes for touch ups where the tags were placed, and really precise angles. All without getting anything but the walls and ceiling covered in paint.

How did he know about this if Naruto was never caught? Naruto had written him a report about it, along with other such pranks. Covering what the plan was, how it was executed, and any complications that had happened. Just like Iruka has discussed in both class and in his private lessons. He called the pranks, infiltration training missions, and wrote out reports to Iruka so the scarred teacher could evaluate the missions and give advice. With such a set up Iruka did the one thing he could do. He evaluated the missions and gave advice. They were mostly good set-ups that only got better as the team got more and more use to each other, and gathered more experience.

Thinking about it… with how Naruto described the pranks as training… that was probably why Sakura went along with them. Even if it wasn't the real reason, it certainly would give the Pinkette an excuse. It wasn't like she had too many friends to hang out with anymore. The fangirls only stayed together to keep an eye on their rivals, and with Sakura not really being a vocal rival anymore they didn't see a reason to keep an eye on her. Not to mention she killed off any real friendship she had with Ino… though he had caught both girls giving glances to one another that seemed tinged with longing and regret. Like they wanted to talk to each other, but just couldn't get themselves to. Hopefully that would change in the future.

The teacher was brought out of his revery when the bell to start class rang out. The time for wool gathering was done. It was time to prepare his students for their graduation tests, and hope that the future would be a good one for all of them.

* * *

><p>Naruto stretched as the bell to end class rang. Staying in his seat as the other students began to leave, he gave a wave to both Sakura and Hinata, giving the latter an extra little wink which caused the girl to smile shyly as she left. Hinata was so cute. He really had to start earning money and respect so that he could ask her father for permission to take her out properly.<p>

However, that was a thought for another time. Right now he had to get some help. Graduation was just around the corner after all. With that he got up as the last student left and approached his teacher's desk.

"Hello Naruto. Something I can do for you? Or do you have another report?" Iruka asked. Not a bad guess really. Since Naruto learned pretty much everything Iruka could teach him about tessen, and the girls were doing well in their own training Naruto mostly only talked to Iruka for small bits of advice or pank evaluations these days.

"Actually I need help with some jutsu." Naruto admitted. "Well actually one jutsu, and some advice on another." He corrected himself.

"Okay let's start with the advice. What's the jutsu?"

"Well actually, it's kind of one I created based off the transformation jutsu. Here let me show you." With that said naruto made the ram sign and with a shout of "Sexy jutsu!" became a busty, well curved, and very naked female version of himself with twin pigtails and well placed censor smoke covering his naughty bits.

Within a second Iruka was blown back by a jet of blood coming out of his nose. Within another the teacher was getting back up and grabbing some tissue for his nose. "Naruto what is this?" He called, sounding both confused and a little upset.

"It's my sexy technique. I'm planning on it to be my anti-pervert one hit kill. I'm even trying to come up with a version for girls,'"The boy turned girl said with a cute smile and a little wink. Her posture being that of innocence, despite her naked appearance.

Iruka nodded and looked him up and down. Then said "Okay I can see what you mean, but doing it in such a way." Suddenly the teacher lashed out with a finger poking him in the center of the chest. That felt… odd.

Iruka stopped as soon as his finger touched flesh and started blushing. "Naruto. What am I touching?"

"My chest."

"This form is taller than you correct?"

"Yes."

"And transformations are only an illusion right?"

"They are?" Naruto asked a little confused. Which got Iruka to start blinking in confusion at him.

"Yes, it is. Please release the transformation," Iruka said which Naruto did, finding himself back at his usual height with Iruka's finger on his forehead. "Now transform into someone shorter than you." With a shrug Naruto again did as he was bidden and transformed into a short kid with spiky brown hair and a long blue scarf he had seen around the village a few times. Iruka's finger was now above him touching only air.

This got the teacher to look down at him. 'How long could you do this?"

"Ummm… since you first taught us I guess. It was a bit hard to do at first as you probably remember, but when I cut down the handsigns to just the ram well…" Naruto answered with a smile.

Iruka gave him another thoughtful look as he retracted his finger and nodded. "And you say you're working on a version to work on girls?" he asked and as Naruto nodded Iruka did so as well. "Very well I will make a note on it. My only real advice is that as you work on the techniques, you bring it up to only myself or your current instructor at the time. You should also use it only as a last resort or when you are very sure it will work." Naruto nodded his understanding after dispelling the technique again. It was good advice.

"Alright. Now you said you needed help?"

"Yeah I know you mentioned that the clone jutsu is simple… and you have helped me out with chakra control with the whole leaf exercise but I just can't seem to make it work. I keep putting in more chakra but...it just gets worse and worse."

Iruka looked thoughtful again putting a hand on his chin and leaning on his desk. "Maybe you are putting too much." He suggested.

"But you and Mizuki are always telling the others to put in more." Naruto countered.

"That is true but it is the only explanation I got since you have shown to have more than enough chakra to transform and I know you can substitute." The teacher pointed. "Now I want you to try the clone technique with as LITTLE as you can manage."

With a sigh Naruto made the seals for the clone jutsu and started molding his chakra. He did his best to reign in as much as possible, it was difficult. It felt like he was trying to hold back a mighty river with only a small wall with which to hold it. With a puff of smoke… a sickly pale clone appeared. It seemed to have a bit more color than the others he had made though. Not that it lasted very long.. The student looked back at his teacher who looked perplexed.

"That was the minimum you could muster?"

"Yes. I tried but, my minimum feels so… high." he tried to explain the best he could. How could you tell others how it felt to have a well of seemingly unlimited energy? But Iruka seemed to understand.

"Alright then with that same amount of chakra, make as many clones as you can. Don't worry about how they look. or even the amount. Just let it out. that same amount as before.".

Naruto sighed again but went back to molding his chakra, going through the handsigns again. He again fought with the mighty river trying to get as little as possible before just letting the energy loose into his jutsu. There was a LOT of smoke this time. And when it cleared… well a sea of brown and gold was filling the room. What was more, none of them were about to dispel or looked sick. "Wow" was all Naruto could say.

Iruka though still looked thoughtful. "That is quite impressive. Your minimum can make this many… Well with this alone you would have no problem passing. Good Job." He praised. "However all this seems rather inconvenient. Why don't you dispel the clones and get going for today Naruto. I'll try and find something that could fit you better."

Naruto smiled wide and cheered. "Alright Iruka, thanks." With that he grabbed his stuff as the sea of clones faded away, and got going. Iruka really was the best teacher. And now with the spare time and knowledge that he could pass no matter what, he had a clear mind with which to try and work on his newest and best technique.

* * *

><p>Hiruzen Sarutobi looked across his desk at one Iruka Umino who stood before him. Then he looked back down at th notes that were given to him. It wasn't the first time the chuunin had come into his office. He came in at least once a month to give reports on his class. However this was a bit early for that meeting. And the notes were on a very specific person.<p>

"You are certain that Naruto can do this?"

"Yes sir." Iruka replied. "His stores of chakra seem to be massive. and I tested him myself. His transformations were no illusions and he made a flood of normal clones with what he calls his minimum."

The hokage nodded as he took a puff off his pipe. The taste of this particular blend was good for him. the flavor was subtle and calming. Good for when he was winding down from paperwork or had to think. Of course it wasn't hard to see why Naruto would have such large stores of chakra, what with his tenant and how his seal was suppose to work. That much chakra would make control difficult. But would also mean that…

The old leader nodded as he reached out and grabbed a blank scroll and his writing pen. "Very well I have just the technique for it. Its a very difficult chakra intensive jutsu, but if his stores are as you say he should be able to handle it. However no one else his age will be able to. So when you teach him this make sure you clarify that point. Got it?" He said as he continued to write down the jutsu that could only be found in the scroll of seals.

"Understood sir."

"Good. Now once you have taught him the technique and he understands it, burn this scroll." He clarified as he handed said scroll to the teacher.

"Understood sir. I will make sure it happens."

"Good, dismissed." As the teacher left Hiruzen leaned back in his chair taking a long drag of tobacco. He just hoped he was doing the right thing teaching a young academy student a jutsu like that. Sometimes the balancing act between taking care of those precious to you and being the leader of a village was so very hard to pull off.


	5. Whirling fans

Today was the day. The day that years of planning would finally come to fruition.

Today was the day the damn demon brat would fail the graduation exam, and Mizuki could then manipulate him to his own ends.

It didn't matter if the dirty little bastard was getting smarter. Didn't matter if he could pass the written test, or was better at taijutsu. It didn't matter that its relationship with Iruka was amazing. No, all that mattered was that as a demon the brat had too much chakra to even THINK about doing the clone jutsu properly. And without some kind of exemption, like a medical condition, if he couldn't perfectly do all three jutsu's he would fail. And since it was a S-ranked secret that he was a demon he couldn't possibly get the exemption needed. It was all so perfect.

He was so sure of himself that it never once crossed his mind that the demon would even approach Iruka for help with his clone problem in private. Nor did he ever think that the solution would be so simple.

So knowing the demon's nature, Mizuki was unsurprised when it had passed the transformation test. After all fox demons were known for taking human shape with ease.

However he was unprepared for the little demon to cross his fingers and call out "Shadow clone jutsu" when asked to do the clone technique. That hadn't been part of the plan. Nor was it part of the test. However before he could say anything Iruka was already talking.

"Good job Naruto. Three complete clones. You pass this part of the test."

"Wait Iruka," Mizuka spoke quickly. "Did he not just do Shadow clones?" Iruka nodded. "Wasn't he asked to do normal clones."

"I never specified what jutsu to use. And besides he has special permission from the Hokage to use this jutsu over the other. Otherwise we would be in the middle of a sea of normal clones just so he could pass. And that would be inconvenient."

No. No! Nononononononononono! How dare they?! Not only Iruka but the Hokage himself? They would make exceptions for this filth? They would teach him a powerful technique just so he could pass easier? Make him stronger? Damn it! Now his plan was going to fly out the window. There would be no way for him to manipulate the boy now.

He struggled hard to contain his righteous rage at the unfairness of it all. And he knew what test was about to happen. Iruka was going to ask the demon to show them the substitution jutsu and Mizuki was to throw a blunt kunai at him like he had done for all the students before him. Of course the demon would pass. However if he caught him by surprise… he might still cause the boy to fail… or perhaps…

In his anger he made a decision and 'mistakenly' grabbed a sharp kunai instead of a blunt one. Then he waited.

"Now Naruto please demonstrate-"

There! WIth lightning quickness he let his blade fly. And it appeared like it would fly true. Flying straight along its course to pierce the boy's throat. However then there was a sense of vertigo, and he felt himself sit on air for a moment, suddenly no longer in his chair, and the far wall was suddenly closer. His confusion didn't last long for he soon felt the pain of something sharp and pointy piercing his flesh at the base of his skull… then it was all dark.

Mizuki was dead before his body hit the ground

* * *

><p>"Is he going to be alright?"<p>

"I think so. It took hours to convince him that his little prank wasn't the cause of Mizuki's death. Though he still seemed depressed when I left him with Hinata and Sakura."

Sarutobi sighed and took a puff from his pipe. "I see. And you mentioned he threw a sharpened kunai?"

"Yes sir. But even if he used a blunted kunai the amount of damage he could have done.. he had aimed for the throat sir. And I can only think of one reason why he would. And Naruto is wondering why Mizuki was trying to kill him. He is much sharper than he was sir. I don't know how to explain…"

The Hokage sighed again. 'Very well I will take care of that. It would probably be best if I found a good way to reveal it." he took another puff and blew out and stared into the smoke as it swirled in the air. "Iruka after this meeting you will meet up with the squad looking through Mizuki's apartment for any clues as to why he would do this. Even if it appears obvious it doesn't mean it is."

"Yes sir." the chuunin saluted. Hiruzen nodded then focused on the others starting to wander in.

"Good. Now this shouldn't take too long."

As the last person entered Kakashi appeared in the window. "Sorry for being late." He said as he took out a familiar orange book.

"Actually you are right on time we were about to begin." The Hokage said with a smile and Iruka was sure he saw a twitch in the man's one visible eye. Though the man had only nodded.

"Now that you are all here we can begin team assignments. Now there weren't as many teams this year as we thought there would be. So some of you are going home empty handed." That got several nods of acceptance and more than a few sighs of relief. "However we will strive to make the best combination of teams and teachers. So lets start the lists. Iruka, if you would."

"yes, sir. We have 5 teams this year instead of the 9 we thought we would." WIth that he started the team listings. teams 5 and 6 were good students. and were likely to pass the genin test of their teachers. However they weren't quite noteworthy. However the last three teams he was sure were going to cause a stir. "Team 7 will be Sasuke, this years rookie of the year, Sakura, this years Kunoichi of the year, and Kiba the deadlast." Kakashi started at that, and Kurenai seemed to frown. "Team 8 will be Naruto, our second place for rookie of the year, Hinata, the second place kunoichi, and Shikamaru the second place deadlast." Yep The red eyed kunoichi was frowning now, And now Asuma the Hokage's son joined her in the frowning. "Team 10 will be Ino, Chouji, and Shino."

"Alright with the teams made shall we begin assignments?" The hokage asked and Kurenai raised her hand. "Ah Kurenai which team would you like."

"Actually sir I wish to complain about the teams… The first two are fine but the previous three… they seem scrambled and like they wouldn't function well." The hokage gestured for her to continue and the woman took a breath and plunged in. Iruka was sure that he was listening intently too. Since he agreed that the teams need some rearranging.

"To start off. 7 just seems like a mess. From what I have heard, Sasuke is antisocial and arrogant. Kiba is the same when it comes to the arrogant front, not to mention he is loud and likely to have an alpha complex. That will likely lead the two of them to argue and try to one up each other constantly. Not to mention that Sakura is a classic example of a fangirl and will likely be unable to do anything on her own, and will do whatever Sasuke wants." Kurenai explained, which made Iruka frown.

"Team 8 while it seems a little sounder, will also likely not work as well as it seems. While I do not know Naruto's full abilities, word is that he is little better than kiba personality wise. While that might help Hinata and Shikamaru get more active, his skill set is likely more towards Taijutsu. Hinata's would likely be the same because of the juken. With Shikamaru being a Nara, that would mean his focus will be his shadow arts and strategies. Something I am sure Naruto is likely to not go along with. Also a shadow user with two taijutsu experts might seem like a good idea, but the concept has holes in it. There is little to no specialization which will lead to disorder."

"Then there is team 10.. well it is the most likely to work. Shino's bugs can take the place of Shikamaru's shadows. However Ino/Shika/Cho teams are practically raised together. With Shino just being thrown in the synergy is likely to be thrown off." She finished. "In response I request the last teams be reformed into team 10 being the classic Ino/Shika/Cho capture and interrogation team, Team 8 being a tracking team of Shino, Hinata, and Kiba, and team 7 being a front line unit of Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto."

The Hokage nodded. "I will admit that is a fine argument based on little information. Iruka? Would you care to make your own argument?"

"Yes sir. As some of you may or may not know." Though he was leaning towards the not know option sense it seemed like NO ONE paid attention to changes in the academy. Seriously, these your Jonin. They should be a bit more aware of the students they were likely to teach. "I changed the teaching methods of my class to a more unorthodox method which is how the ranks got mixed up and so few passed. It is because of that that I agree with you Kurenai that the teams as they are won't work. However I do NOT agree with your assessment." Kurenai looked like she was about to speak when Iruka raised her hand to stall her. "I'm not saying you are wrong," though you are, "Only that you don't know everything. As their teacher I do."

"As such I would like team 7 to consist of Sasuke, Kiba, and Shino. As you stated, Sasuke is infact antisocial and will need a real kick in the ass to work with others. Both Shino and Kiba are raised in families that advocate teamwork. They are also not fangirls and have the most likely chance to have Sasuke work with them. All three also represent a more balanced team with each covering the other's weaknesses and building on their strengths. Or atleast they could."

"Team 8 should be Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura. While not as much as say an Ino/Shika/Cho team, they have worked with each other extensively and have the makings of a command and infiltration team. Naruto actually as a real head for planning as well as improve if he has the data, Sakura is really good at verifying data, and Hinata has proven more than adept at getting said data. And if I remember correctly infiltration is another of your specialties Kurenai. Not to mention Hinata and Sakura have excellent chakra control making them great candidates for your art."

"Team 10 as you can guess will be Ino/Shika/Cho. No real need to fix that."

That left the three Jonin in front of him stunned. Asuma was the first to recover. "I agree with that and request his version of team ten."

Kurenai looked thoughtful. "Do you have the files for the three you want in team 8?" She asked. Iruka simply handed her the three… semi thick files. He watched her brows rise. "I will review these… but… for now I will agree."

"Good. Oh and in there are copies of some infiltration missions they have already done." Iruka made sure to add in with a smile. It only grew as Kurenai looked shocked at that news. Thats what you get for not paying attention.

"Actually sir I would like to lobby for the teams Kurenai suggested. I would like Naruto on my team. If that is not possible. I would like to switch Kiba and Naruto in the teams that Iruka suggested. Word around town says that the two aren't too different in personality and moods. So it shouldn't affect much."

Iruka was quite upset at that. This man was suppose to be the best of the best. A tactical genius of sorts. He should know a team like he was talking about wouldn't work. Even IF the personalities were similar, their skill sets were different. However before Iruka could say anything, Kurenai beat him to it, and she looked mad.

"Kakashi, have you ever dealt with particularly lecherous kunoichi?" She asked.

"I've dealt with Anko…" He grumbled.

"We have several complaints about Kiba from some of the failed kunoichi, saying that he was hitting on them…" Kurenai began, "His mother has been attempting to curb it, but he's a Inuzuka, they can't seem to help it…"

Iruka's expression grew grim as he realized what she was getting at. Though he noticed she didn't mention that most of those complaints, if not all of them, were from fangirls. Not to mention that said fangirls were just as bad if not worse when it came to Sasuke. Funny how little things like that went unnoticed.

"So, to have your special team arrangement, you want some boy who believes he's an alpha male with two girls?" Kurenai asked, for Kakashi to nod, "So, are you going to explain to Hiashi Hyuuga the first time he attempts to come on to Hinata because he believes that his teammates should service him as their leader?"

Iruka winced. That wasn't exactly one of the reasons Kiba was on an all-male team. HE was pretty sure the girls could take care of themselves. He also didn't like the light Kurenai was painting one of his students in. However, if it helped him get what he wanted he would let it slide for now. He was about to put the final nail in the coffin when the Hokage did it for him.

"Denied. On top of the previous points, you have spent too long in fantasies and the past Kakashi. This will be good for you."

"But sir the concept was working. It would have done great things if…"

"Kakashi, it took how long for the concept to start bearing fruit? And even if what you say is true, the chances of Sasuke and Naruto working together are even worse then with your former team. Naruto is no longer the child you think he is. And he and Sasuke will likely be at each others throat constantly. So again your request is denied. If you don't like it you better hope they fail." The Hokage said firmly brooking no argument.

The teacher watched as Kakashi slumped over. "yes sir."

"Good anything else?" No one spoke, "Good then the teams Iruka has suggested will stand final. Unless someone can come up with a good argument within the next two days. If not then the teams with be permanent for student assignment a week from now. You may now pick up your student files and review them."

Iruka smiled as everyone except Kakashi moved to pick up the files. The mentioned jonin just left. The scarred man shook his head. Either he was planning to fail his team, didn't care, or felt he could figure out his students by feel. Either way it wasn't good. Oh well.. at least he got his students where they belonged.

* * *

><p>It had been one hell of a week for Naruto. Ever since the graduation exam and Mizuki's death.<p>

That last part made no sense. Even when he told Sakura and Hinata they could find no reason for it. While Sakura scolded him for pulling such a prank, she still didn't see how it could be fatal. It was supposed to be a blunted kunai to the center of the body. Not a sharp one to the throat. Both girls wanted to know what was going on. As did Naruto… however he also didn't want to know. So Instead of going to the Hokage for answers like Iruka suggested he decided to distract himself and the girls with one last mission. Find out about the jonin teachers and what the teams were.

It started out simple. They spent time around town asking the innocent question here and there and just for the most part listening to conversations between the older ninja. Then the day before the teams were to be assigned to the students they did their biggest job to date. Infiltrate the Hokage's tower.

They had spent the that day and the day before studying the tower and the various ways to get in, and then that night went in. It had been child's play to sneak around the patrols, especially with the logistical mind of Sakura, and Hinata's Byakugan. When they got in, they made a beeline for the jonin files making sure they didn't trip any alarms or traps set in the room or on the files themselves.

Everything had been going good, and they were starting to write down key information about their possible teachers, when the Hokage chose that time to randomly walk in. Seriously it was so surprising even the Hokage couldn't believe it had happened.

Before anyone could panic or alarms could be raised Naruto quickly explained the situation to his surrogate grandfather. Who luckily understood and heard about Naruto's exploits from Iruka. And he had sent them home.. after taking any notes they may have taken as penalty for getting caught.

That had been a sad report that he turned in. His first real failure… but it had been a learning experience. And now he wished he had asked permission to try and escape with the data he had. Oh well next time.

Now he was back in class for the last time waiting for team assignments with nothing more than a vague image on each possible teacher. Though he had to admit when Iruka finally got around to saying the teams he wasn't disappointed. They seemed like good mixes. Even if both Sakura and Ino lamented the lack of Sasuke on their teams. Oh well time would hopefully wean them further of the dark haired boy. Though he still wished he knew more about Kurenai. Aside from the fact that she was an anti-pervert, ice queen, that specialized in genjutsu. Yeah that was quite a bit of information but it still didn't tell the full story.

And then she arrived. Infact she was the first to do so. She was definitely not what he was expecting. A long flowing black mane of hair, red piercing eyes, and a slim build. She was a rather pretty woman… and didn't look like much of a fighter. Then again with her nickname being the genjutsu mistress… it made sense. She probably did just enough exercise to stay in shape and keep up her stamina for long missions.

Though the real surprise was her outfit. A white wrap around looking dress, shorts that looked like they were made of bandages, a single red sleeve, a mesh undershirt, and bandage wraps that went from hands to elbow… It was a strange outfit to say the least. And this was coming from a man who wore an orange jumpsuit for a while.

For a woman who supposedly despised perverts she didn't seem willing to hide much from them. Or maybe that was the point. Much like his sexy jutsu. Hmm kunoichi really were dangerous. If that was her reason of course.

Naruto was brought out of his musings when his teacher called for his team. And she neither sounded or looked happy about it. Or more specifically… him. What was her problem? He sighed and got up along with the two girls on his team and followed their teacher out into the hall.

"Alright we will be meeting in training ground behind the academy. Get there as fast as you can." Then with one final hard stare at Naruto she was gone. Seriously what was her problem?

"Why was she mad at Naruto?" Hinata asked sounding very confused.

"Naruto did you do something to our teacher?" Sakura accused.

"No I haven't, first time I have ever seen her, let alone met her. Though… admittedly I was staring at her clothes wondering why she would wear such an outfit…"

"Oh great now she thinks you're a pervert."

"Probably."

"Wonderful."

"Guys we better hurry." Hinata reminded them.

"Right." Sakura and Naruto said as one. And with that they were off to meet with their teacher. Naruto was already coming up with a way to explain himself and apologize for being rude. After all he couldn't have his teacher thinking he was a pervert. After all he was just as anti-pervert as she was, if rumor was right.


End file.
